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The Natural Wonders of Sweden

Sweden, also known as the kingdom of Sweden, in located in
northern Europe on the Scandinavian Peninsula and is the 3rd biggest
country in the European Union. Its history begins about 12,000 years
ago with the Bromme culture that involved bands of reindeer hunters.
Their weapons were made from flint, and petroglyphs or rock carvings
are located all over Sweden. The inhabitants were for the most part,
hunters, fishermen and gatherers or herdsmen. Although Rome tried to
conquer this area in 9 A.D. the Germans were able to stop the
advance. The Roman influences started becoming evident sometime
after this period. The Vikings were strikingly good looking people,
tall, blond and ruddy, according to early accounts. Unfortunately,
there is not much of the written word. They were strong and
courageous fighters and voracious explorers, going various places to
trade; since metals were not mined in their country. Between 800 and
1000 there was much trade for silver and in 829, Christianity was
introduced to the pagan populace. The Swedes were great ship
builders which helped them to travel for trade, as well as raiding
many countries for slaves and workers. There is an abundance of wood
in Sweden available for the great ships called longboats with
carvings on the bow and stern. Remains of enormous ship
building yards and handicrafts have
been found in the country. Christianity became the main religion
about 1050 and Sweden was recognized as a Christian country. Sweden
was devastated in the 14th century as the black death, as bubonic
plague was known, killed many thousands. In 1523, Gustav Vasa was
made king and this was thought to be the beginning of modern Sweden,
with Gustav becoming the father of the nation.

Up until the 17th century, Sweden was relatively poor, thinly
populated country, without any real power or name. Then during the
reign of Gustavus Adolphus, many military expeditions created a
leader of all the Protestant nations until 1721. After many wars,
Sweden lost its eastern territory to Russia which later became
Finland, and part of the Russian empire.During the 18th and 19th centuries, the population in Sweden
almost doubled due to the peace, potatoes and smallpox vaccine.
However, also during this time many Swedes emigrated to the United
States and Canada, with the belief that more than 1 million left
during the period from 1850 to 1910. The country was mainly an
agricultural domain and with little if any industry growth, while
the countries around it began to industrialize.

Although the country's industries were not growing as fast or as
big as the rest of the world, in the 18th century, Sweden's
scientific inventions were outpacing many countries. In fact, if any
business was able to talk about its tremendous influence and growth,
it would be the research and development aspects. This in turn
allowed the country to experience growth and wealth it wasn't used
to. With inventions coming out of the country like no other, more
funds were allocated to the r&d of innovations, especially in the
areas of science, medicine and pharmaceuticals. Today it is one of
the leaders in investments in science and technology, and also its
manufacture of pharmaceuticals and telecommunications.

It was during the 18th century that the revolution began in Sweden,
with the creation of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences,
including members like Carolus Linnaeus and Anders Celsius. In the
late 1800s, engineers were being raised with unprecedented numbers,
and were becoming heroes of the day. Gustaf Dalen founded AGA, an
international conglomerate still in operations today. He received
the Nobel for his sun valve. And speaking of the Nobel, Alfred Nobel
invented dynamite and started the Nobel prizes. Lars Ericcson
started his company, which is one of the largest telecommunications
company in the world today. Wenstrom was an early inventor in AC and
with fellow inventor Tesla created the 3 phrase electrical system.

Tours in Sweden

Sweden is rich in history and culture, which make it a wonderful
country to travel in and visit. One of the most interesting and
popular is the island of Oland with its fantastic landscape. There
on the island are 19 ringforts, with only one having been
extensively excavated called Eketorp, with over 24,000 ancient
relics being unearthed. Evidence has said that the island was
settled sometime in the year 8000 B.C. It is the second largest
island of the country. Other ancient towns were Birka and Hovgardent
in the islands Bjorko and Adelso in Malaren nearby to Stockholm. And
speaking of Stockholm, an area that has to be visited is the Gamla
stan or when translated old town, where the narrow cobblestone
thoroughfares from the 17th century, are lined with unique antique
shops, cafes, bookstores of the rarest, jewelry and souvenirs.

On her first voyage, the warship Vasa sailed from Stockholm, in
1628 and sank. She was found and salvaged in 1961 and is the only
17th century vessel museum viewable for 6 levels. Its origins are
shown with exhibitions, movies and slide shows. Opened in 1883,
Tivoli Grona Lund amusement park was opened and still brings in the
thousands every summer. Located south of the city, and visible on
the horizon, is Globen, the biggest spherical structure in the
world.

Dating back to the 13th century is the King's official residence
the Kungliga Slottet, is in the old town area. The next palace was
built in the late 17th and early 18th centuries in Roman Baroque
design and holding over 600 rooms, is one of the biggest castles in
Europe today. Here you find treasures of impressive magnitude
located in one of the many museums: the Treasury, Royal Chapel, or
the Museum of Antiquities with relics of various beauty and
extravagance. The official changing of the guard is as impressive as
the one in London. The National Museum of Fine Arts in Stockholm is
the biggest in Sweden with its start in the 16th century and still
acquiring fine objects de art today. The incredible art collection
houses works of Gaugin, Zorn, Larsson, Renoir, Boucher, Degas,
Rembrandt and Rubens. It also has magnificent exhibits of
handicrafts, engravings and drawings. In the Historical Museum you
will find relics of the stone age, bronze age gold treasures and
awesome sculptures from the 12th century. It tells of the turbulent
Vikings and their marauding history throughout the coasts of Europe.

Throughout Goteborg, or Gothenburg, trams are a wonderful way to
travel and see the sights. Moving slowly from one historical venue
to another, visitors and riders are giving ample time to see the
spectacular sights and decide which ones to spend more time delving
into. The biggest botanical garden, Botaniska Tradgarden, is located
in Gothenburg and over 12000 species of plants are grown here
including; greenhouses, a rock garden, arboretum, Japanese valley,
herb garden, bulb garden and bamboo grove. Built in 1641, Skansen
Krona fortress was designed to keep the Danish people from invading
Sweden. It was constructed atop a hill and has a fantastic view of
the city below, and houses an awesome military museum. On its way
home from gathering spices and porcelain in the orient, the ship
Gotheborg was sunk just outside the city. In 1980, divers were able
to salvage some of the cargo and a decision to rebuilt the ship was
hatched. An exact copy of the ship is being built in an abandoned
shipyard and will set sail to the orient when it is finished. It was
started in the 1990s and after being shown in Europe will sail the
original course to China and return.

National Car Rental has the nations largest selection
of quality vehicles to choose from. National is conveniently located at the
airport for hassle free pick up and drop off. Use our online coupons
and book today.

Things to do in Sweden

In the oldest area of Gothenburg, you will come across Haga Nygatan,
the oldest area of the city going back to the 1640s. Here you will
find fantastic antique shops, bookstores, art collections and craft
shops. Just a few minutes from the town's center, is the natural
forest called Anggardsbergen, in the city limits. The park has some
grand tracks for running, walking or biking, beautiful lakes and
shelters with fire wood. A wonderful place to relax and unwind after
a hectic day of seeing some of the best Gothenburg has to offer.
They even have areas to barbeque and smell the flowers from the
botanical garden. The Gothenburg Museum of
Art or the Goteborgs Konstmuseum, contains Nordic art from the 15th
to the 20th century and is a marvel of the artistic history of this
country. The museum also has paintings by Manet, Monet and van Gogh,
as well as some beautiful sculpting.

Sweden is a wonderful surprise for the modern
traveler with great highways, ferries, airports and awesome
railroads. It is not overly populated which gives the visitor
limitless miles of undisturbed vistas of land, lakes and mountains.
Tourists sometimes think that the country and its culture are
exotic, while it is considered a safer country to travel than much
of the rest of Europe, since it doesn't have any natural disasters,
nor political upheavals. The capital city, Stockholm sits abreast 14
islands and the water has been described as being so pure you can
swim and fish in the very center of the city.

In the northern part of Sweden, or Lapland or Norrbotten, Europe's
most well preserved wilderness is wide open for the thrill seeking
adventurist in us all. A big part of it is located above the artic
circle and has hardly any darkness during the summer. In this wild
country you will find, dog sledding, fishing, shooting, skiing both
cross-country and downhill, hiking over mountains and anything else
you can fathom doing in this great adventurous land. The Ice
Hotel in the north is built every year to take guests during the
frigid months of the year.

The Operan is home to the Royal Swedish Opera in
Stockholm and is the best place to go if you love opera, dance or
theater. There are shows almost every night of the week, so you
won't be disappointed. Visby contains a marvelous example of a
medieval township in northern Europe, where the square is the same
it was hundreds of years ago, as well as buildings and alleys; with
the original stone wall surrounding the town still intact.

A very unusual way to explore and sight see the
city of Stockholm is by canoe. Since it is built upon islands
stretching across the waters, this mode of travel can be as exciting
and exhilarating as any you will visit anywhere in the world.

With over 200 listings of things to do in just
Stockholm alone, you won't have any problems keeping very busy and
occupied in Sweden. Stockholm has 59 museums and 80 attractions to
dazzle your mind and body. Gothenburg lists over 30 things to do.
The Swedish cuisine is varied because of the large distance between
north and south. In the colder north, where it is more difficult to
grow fruits and vegetables, fish and game are the main fare, with
reindeer being a leading meat source. Fish is as important as is its
history. Living on the water and having a cold environment the north
found curing fish with salt to be the best remedy and salt became an
important commodity for trade. Breads of all shapes, sizes and
tastes have evolved over the years and are a main staple in the
diet.